One of the most important and most safety-relevant systems of a rail vehicle is the brake system. Nowadays, in modern rail vehicles, pneumatic brakes are commonly used as service brakes, the pneumatic brakes being supplemented by further brake systems if appropriate. In the case of a pneumatic brake, a brake pressure is exerted on a force generator, for example a pneumatic cylinder, which thereupon brings friction elements of a friction brake device into frictional contact to bring about a braking operation. To test the functionality of such friction brake elements, it is generally the case that, before a train sets off, a brake signal is generated and it is checked, by means of pressure sensors, whether a brake pressure corresponding to the brake signal is generated.
Disclosed embodiments permit improved monitoring of brake apparatuses of rail vehicles.